ARAB 101

Our poor little newlywed blog is struggling to survive isn't it? Ah, well. I'll try to be better about documenting our adorableness.
Here's an update on our little life!
I recently got offered a job as a TA for a class in my major for next fall and winter! Yay! I told my boss at Wavetronix that I would be saying good-bye for good at the end of the summer. I'm excited to have a job that is slightly more related to my studies and that will give me some serious flexibility!
Kevin and I just registered for classes for the fall semester. I only have to take four classes, and I get Fridays off. Best idea I've ever had. I'm really looking forward to my schedule!
Unfortunately, Kevin has to take five classes, and our schedules are very much opposite. On Mondays and Wednesdays, I only have one class, but he has all five. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, he only has one class, but I have three of mine. This is a bummer, but the good news is that we are both always done by 4.
I'm continuing to experiment with our dinners and other cooking/baking. I've found a fabulous homemade granola bar recipe that we both really like and we are still eating our homemade tortillas. A couple of days ago I made a cauliflower soup in the crock pot. Sure, I wasn't expecting the mozzarella to curdle into orange lumps, but it was still yummy!
My running/exercising has unfortunately been put on the back burner a little bit. I've been fighting some illness and some days of extreme busyness which has made exercise less of a priority. But, the good news is that we just got a pull-up bar and a foam roller using an Amazon gift card that we got from our wedding. What a great gift. Kevin and I are really enjoying the pull-up bar especially. :)
Life is busy, but we are working really hard to find and maintain a balance so that we can enjoy our time together. We love where we are in our life. Things get hard sometimes with school and work, but we are just so enjoying the responsibilities that we have and the experiences we are having together as young newlyweds!

It's the little things

I am sitting in our little apartment,
Blogging on my phone because we don't have internet here.
Did you know we don't have internet?
It's not even a slight possibility with our budget right now.
It's funny how we do not for the life of us think we can live without a certain thing,
But when faced with the reality of it, we can give up a lot more than we thought possible.
Living without internet has been surprisingly simple, even though when we first discussed it I thought there was absolutely no way we could do it.
It helps that we have smart phones (don't get me started on what a horrible idea that was, mostly for the cost and contract that we were sucked into).
But we just have to live our lives with a little more planning.
It all works out.
I've discovered a lot of other things I've been able to live without that I never thought I could.
TV,
Real tables and chairs,
A makeup applicator,
New clothes,
More than one pair of pants,
More than one pair of shoes,
A washer and dryer,
Two incomes,
Store bought tortillas and granola bars,
You get the idea.
Kevin and I are in a stage of life right now where we scrimp and save,
Give up anything unnecessary,
Be willing to go without certain things.
It's a good life lesson I think.
Living without some of the "little luxuries" definitely isn't killing us, it's giving us a greater appreciation for what we do have, and what we will someday be able to have.
It helps us remember what's important.
Each other, family, the gospel.
Our little life it's very simple.
Busy, but simple. We are living on love, kisses, 5 pound bags of potatoes and 10 pound bags of rice.
I wouldn't have it any other way.
:)

busy bees

My poor little blog has been neglected. We have been participating in other interesting pursuits such as:
Spending a short weekend down in not-so-sunny St. George for the Dixie Red Rock Relay.
Having a combined FHE with some of our favorite people.
Accepting a speaking assignment in church.
Reading, reading reading. I am on a reading binge right now. It's insane.
Watching LOST. We are addicts.
Running. Every day. All of my runs since the race have been pretty much terrible. But at least I'm getting out there.
Experimenting with food-stuffs for dinner. Last night it was stuffed peppers. Next time I'll do it a little differently.
Staying on campus way later than we want to.
Ecclesiastical endorsement interviews.

Oh yeah, and school and work and stuff. We are busy people. Trying to maintain balance.

i am crushing this battle

Did you know that I've been running a lot lately?
There was a time in my life when I was an awesome runner. I did two half marathons my sophmore year of high school. I was so fit and healthy. Unfortunately, since then running has been a constant trial and I go through phases all the time where I try super hard to get back into running, and then fail.
Mostly it's because I struggle with tight hips and IT band issues which make my knee hurt every time I run.
But this was my year apparently. I ran a 5K in January and it gave me that spark of motivation to try again.
This time I haven't been moaning about how I used to run 6 miles every day and now I can't even do a half mile.
I've been celebrating all of those half mile runs.
Which turned into one mile runs.
Which turned into two mile runs.
Then three.
Then four.
Which is where I'm at right now. I usually stick to 2-3 miles, but once a week I'll bust out 4.
That's happened for a few weeks in a row, and I know that soon I'll hit 5 again, and then 6.
My attitude toward running and exercise is totally different than it's ever been.
It's the whole celebrating achievements thing. I think it helps that I have the most amazing, celebratory husband. I text him after every run, and after each one, no matter how far, he responds with great enthusiasm. He helps me feel enthusiastic about myself too.

This weekend we are going to St. George with some of my family to run the Red Rock Relay. I am so excited. I know that I won't be able to go as far or as fast as my brother, my aunt, my husband, or heck, even my mom. But I feel so great about where I am at with running and I'm so proud of what I've accomplished. I'll be happy to run my legs. They will be some of the shortest legs, and I'll run them the slowest.
But the important thing is that I am DOING it.
:)
Here's to running!

Things I love from last week.

Potato soup in the crock pot.
Better than you-know-what cake.
Serious loving.
Bedtime kisses.
Morning kisses.
Baking like a fiend.
Cooking up a storm.
Taking tests up the wazoo.
Reading about motherhood.
The Biggest Loser.
Calling Grandma and commiserating about Downton Abbey.
Grandma's fried chicken.
Having people over.
Making our bed.
Vacuuming the rock salt.
Listening to our neighbors.
Acing my tests.
Research opportunities.
Trying to make decisions.
Praying like crazy.
Doing our taxes.
Chicken enchiladas.
Snuggles.
LOST.
Being nakee.
Scripture study.
Data collection.
Harry Potter.
Four mile runs.
Cilantro and lime.
Loving.
Girls nights.
Guacamole.
Parenting raps.
Beat boxing.

Dang I'm so in love with my life.

And my husband.

And all the food we eat.

:)